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Martine de Cervens's Top Picks: Modern Design & Decorative Art | 15 October 2025
On Wednesday 15 October, we are pleased to present our Modern Design & Decorative Art sale. The sale offers furniture, lighting, ceramics, glassware, rugs, sculpture, and other works of art from all the major design movements of the 20th and 21st centuries. Ahead of the sale, we are excited to have Martine de Cervens sharing her insights in post-war design. Here, Martine takes a closer look at the collection and highlights some of her favourite pieces.
Martine de Cervens has worked in Design Arts for 40 years. She began her career in the auction world, holding positions at Phillips and Christie’s in New York. After moving to London, she specialized in pre-war glass by René Lalique, later establishing a business focused on 20th-century Sèvres ceramics, working closely with collectors and museums for over a decade. More recently, Martine now works with Liliane Fawcett, founder of Themes & Variations, the first London gallery to present post-war Design.
No. 1
Lot 15: Angelo Mangiarotti (Italian, 1921-2012), 'Lesbo' table lamp for Artimede Italy, designed 1967 | Est. £500-700 (+ fees)
"Angelo Mangiarotti’s ‘Lesbo’ table lamp offers qualities most important to me (and to just about everyone else) in lighting: an atmosphere of warmth and softness, owing to the light being diffused through the milky glass, while illuminating its surrounding area without harshness. Combine these aspects in a bold, attention-drawing sculptural form 70 cm high, and you have an object I would be happy to enjoy everyday."
No. 2
Lot 37: Andy Warhol (1928-1987) and Quinze & Milan, Three 'Brillo Box' Poufs, 2013 | Est. £1,200-1,800 (+ fees)
"What fun! A product design sculpture that Andy Warhol first produced in 1964 at his newly opened Factory, here re-imagined in 2013 by Quinze & Milan in conjunction with The Andy Warhol Foundation of Visual Arts as comfortable seating. The red, white and blue Brillo vintage graphics pile on the American nostalgia hallmarking Warhol’s grocery store staples of the era. Brillo’s slogan ’Shines Aluminium Fast’ makes me laugh as what they actually did was scratch the heck out of the metal!"
No. 3
Lot 58: Jesse Small (American, B.1974), 'Player 1' Chandelier, designed 2008 | Est. £4,000-6,000 (+ fees)
"Lights and lightness don’t always pair, but Jesse’s lacy composition successfully gives form to the airiness of the light's intangibility, despite being realised in unyielding cut steel and porcelain - quite magical."
No. 4
Lot 100: Margarete (Grete) Heymann Löbenstein Marks (German, 1899-1990), Bauhaus Tea Service, circa 1930 | Est. £400-600 (+ fees)
"For everyday enjoyment, Grete’s 1930 tea service serves well. I am instantly reminded of another teacup utilising the same geometric arrangement - Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann’s supremely refined porcelain teacup for Sèvres of the same year. Which came first?"
No. 5
Lot 141: Luigi Frullini (Italian, 1839-1897), attributed, a 'Dagobert' armchair, late 19th century | Est. £3,000-5,000 (+ fees)
"An unusual furniture item almost always works well in an interior, one to offset other sofas and such, and switch style gears. Choices in this area can, we all have experienced, be less successful than one had hoped. But I think this chair by Luigi Frullini is a charming example that would lift a corner, landing or space in so many homes - little chance of seeing it somewhere else and the quality of the carving earns it a place anywhere."
No. 6
Lot 161: Stuart Devlin (Australian, 1931-2018), two candlesticks, 1972 | Est. £2,000-3,000 (+ fees)
"Sometimes you see something that just gives you pleasure - no further info or input needed. Growing up in the 70s, this style resonates with me and it is easy to imagine candle light winking through the filigree gilt-metal. Companion pieces, slightly differing from each other - better than a pair."
No. 7
Lot 176: René Lalique (French, 1860-1945), 'Muguet' bowl, designed 1931, pre 1945 | Est. £300-500 (+ fees)
"Many (and I mean many!) years ago I was involved in dealing in collectors’ pre-war Lalique glass. A niche, but very heated market in the 1980s and 90s, and appreciation of René Lalique’s work continues strongly. This delicate ‘Muguet’ bowl in Lalique’s characteristic opalescent glass is a lovely example."
No. 8
Lot 250: Jean Picart Le Doux (French, 1902-1982), rug, second half 20th century | Est. £400-600 (+ fees)
"Interest in French post-war textiles, tapestries and rugs has undeservedly lagged in our current design world. While Swedish rugs of the same vintage have in recent years surged in values achieved at auction, it is time for French textiles to also appear in homes of 20th Century collectors. The exuberant colour scheme and bold composition of this rug by Jean Picart Le Doux places it in the company of works by Jean Lurçat and by Dom Robert, important graphic textile artists working in France then."
No. 9
Lot 262: Y Claudio Salocchi (Italian, 1934-2012), 'Centro' swivel bookcase for Sormani, designed circa 1960 | Est. £6,000-8,000 (+ fees)
"This bookcase has it all: a dynamic architectural arrangement of alternating vertical and horizontal rectilinear panels forming shelving for a library with a shifting viewpoint, warmed by the richness of the rosewood. It has stature and presence - a wonderful thing!"
No. 10
Lot 263: Ettore Sottsass (Italian, 1917-2007), 'Don' table lamp, designed 1977 | Est. £400-600 (+ fees)
"I would love this on my desk. Functional and taking up almost no room, the pivoting shade is an affectionate nod to a clergyman’s hat. Set it at a rakish angle!"
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Auction Details
Auction:
Wednesday 15 October 2025, 10.30am BST
Dreweatts, Donnington Priory, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2JE
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Viewing:
Viewing in London (highlights):
- Tuesday 30 September: 10am-4pm
- Wednesday 1 October: 10am-4pm
- Thursday 2 October: 10am-4pm
Viewing in Newbury (full sale):
- Friday 10 October: 10am-4pm (by appointment)
- Sunday 12 October: 10am-3pm
- Monday 13 October: 10am-4pm
- Tuesday 14 October: 10am-4pm
- Wednesday 15 October: 9am-12 noon
Further Information:
General enquiries: + 44 (0) 1635 553 553 | design@dreweatts.com
Press enquiries: press@dreweatts.com
